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Monthly Archives: April 2016

The day after tomorrow we fly back to our beautiful home in the tropical Caribbean. Needless to say, I am so excited! We will have been away from our home for one long month, in which time I will have worked 19 shifts in the emergency department while flying on eight other days. There were only three days of the month that I was neither flying nor working.

Steve Wark and Band at the Portland, ME jazz club, Blue. I was able to pick up a show on Saturday after working in the morning.

In the meantime, Cindy has been recovering from her knee replacement surgery remarkably well. She is well ahead of schedule in her rehab. She essentially has regained full range of motion in the knee and has required little of her narcotic pain medicine after the first two weeks. The orthopedist’s official recommendation is for her to stay in Ohio for at least six full weeks, but he stated he would not be too upset if she decides to go back to Beatitude after three because her rehabilitation has gone so well. The primary risk is of her falling. The hardware is not cemented in place. Instead, it is inserted into the bone allowing the bone to grow into the prosthetic joint. A fall would risk dislodging this hardware before it has time to set. We’ll have to be very careful to keep her upright.

Keyboardist and bassist feeling the mood.

Today, in Maine, we had a beautiful mid-day snowfall with big fluffy flakes which beautified the landscape as it fell. Fortunately, the temperature is in the mid-30s so the roads were not affected and the inconvenience of the frozen precipitation was minimized. I’ll soon escape from these northeastern climes to the warm sun of the islands! Next update will be from Sint Maarten!

A snapshot from the ambulance bay at Southern Maine Medical Center today.

Sixteen days ago, Cindy and I flew from Sint Maarten to the States. Thirteen days from now, we will fly back to our beloved Beatitude. It’s a long time to be away from our boat and way too long to be away from the Caribbean. However, our one month exile from the islands has allowed us to accomplish two important things.

The first, and most important, was Cindy’s knee replacement. Her left knee had been bothering her for a few years now and had really begun to limit her ability to explore and enjoy herself ashore. So, on April 4th, she underwent a total left knee replacement. The surgery went perfectly and she is now in rehab mode (and not extremely happy about that). The pain meds are decreasing and her mobility and strength are increasing. She’s really doing well.

Pre-surgery. I flew back from Daytona Beach just in time to be with her prior to surgery.

Immediately post-op

Two of the several flower arrangements received after surgery.

Post-op, hospital rehab

The incision

More flowers

The second is a month of work for me. Today, I am halfway through nineteen shifts in the emergency departments of Daytona Beach, Florida and Biddeford, Maine (And, I’m not extremely happy about that, either). But, I am thankful for the gift of being able to work and replenish the cruising kitty when needed. We had spent a lot of money back in the fall on replacing Beatitude’s electronics, buying a new life raft, and performing a few other necessary tasks. A month of essentially full-time work will provide a little cushion once again.

While in Ohio with Cindy after my first nine shifts – chilling with my “grand-daughter,” Layna

When not working or tending to my recovering wife, I’ve been planning and dreaming of future voyages. Who knows where we will be in one year? I don’t! But, I’m looking forward to returning to Sint Maarten and Beatitude in less than two weeks to get started once again!

The updated map of the Travels of Beatitude

Until then, I’ve finally produced a short video of my diving experiences in Anguilla. Enjoy: